Once upon a time is what I wish I could say, but sadly I can not. This story is no fairy tale, fate had other plans. In fact, I do not know if there will ever be an ending. Actions have consequences and my actions would leave scars. I should have known, but I saw it too late. I couldn’t prepare for what lay ahead. I had no time to comprehend. The world was spinning and my heart was racing. So I ran as fast as I could. 

I ran away and Fate was chasing me down.

Dashing madly into the forest, I hid behind a fallen tree. The forest was dense, vast, and dark. I lost her but only for a moment. She walked back and forth, weaving in between the dense trees. 

Fate was relentless.

She carried daggers of the sharpest steel on her belt. A necklace of shattered glass hung on her neck reflected the dim light. Feet bare and dress made of rags was all she ever wore. Her skin was pale and her lips blood red. Her hair was long and glossy straight. Her eyes shot left to right in hoping for a hint of my life.

 As I hid behind the dead tree, my hands shaking, I came to an understanding. I could run my whole life but so could she. What life would that be? I didn’t want to return—I wanted to live life in another place. I wanted to be free from the curse that was forever bonded to me. Yet, I would never be completely free with Fate on my heels. I needed to accept the reality of my actions. I needed to accept my name. So I stepped out of the shadows and into her sight. I would be dauntless. I would be brave. I needed to embrace her and I needed to embrace me. Fate stopped as she noticed me then ran in my direction. Her eyes brimmed with sadness and eyes full of flames. Her feelings were of anger and sorrow.  I stood my ground, dauntless. She wrapped her arms tightly around me, with tears streaming down her face. She wasn't going to kill me. 

“I missed you, Destiny,” she muttered as she embraced me. “I don’t know how I would live without you.”

 Sisters, we were. Sisters forever. She ended lives while I led the heroes on quests that prove their valor. Together we created a balance in a world of disharmony. She was the ending and I was beginning. She sang the heroes to sleep while I arouse them from their slumber. Resilience, immortal, beautiful, and cursed-we together lead heroes on their journeys. Because together we were intertwined forever called by fallen heroes, Fate and Destiny.